Cold Judgment by Joanne Fluke

Author:Joanne Fluke [Fluke, Joanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2014-09-16T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

Kay hung up the phone and went straight to the bottle of Baileys Irish Cream that was sitting out on the counter. Charles had suggested a nightcap when they’d gotten home from the concert last night. Even though it was barely nine in the morning, Kay poured a generous shot in her coffee. She needed something to steady her nerves.

Mac had called just after Charles had left for the office. The kids had gone with him to do some Christmas shopping downtown. In a way, Kay was glad she was alone. At least she didn’t have to pretend that nothing was wrong.

She sat down at the kitchen table and gripped the mug with both hands. Trish had made it for her in ceramics class last year. It had a yellow smiling face on one side.

Ralph whined at her feet. He knew something was wrong. Kay tossed him the toast from her plate. The eggs had congealed and the sausage was cold and greasy. The thought of eating it made her gag.

“Here you go, boy.” Kay set the whole plate down on the floor. Ralph’s tail thumped ecstatically against the table leg. At least someone was happy this morning.

Kay raised the mug to her lips and drank. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she didn’t know how to stop them. The group would be here in thirty minutes, but for the first time, she didn’t care about the mess. The breakfast dishes could stay piled in the sink. The unmade beds could wait. Poor Father Marx. What had he done to deserve such a violent death?

Ralph finished the last of the eggs and lay down at her feet, his head resting against her blue satin slipper. Kay picked him up and cuddled him. His little pink tongue came out to lick her cheek.

They could meet right here, in the kitchen. There was plenty of room at the table. There were only the four of them now. The thought made her start to cry again. Kay gave Ralph one more pat and got up resolutely. She’d try to stay busy until they came.

First she’d wipe off the table. There were crumbs from Trish’s English muffin, and her jar of clover honey had left a sticky ring on the Formica. A capless bottle of Louisiana Hot Sauce sat by James’s place. He refused to eat his eggs without it. A pile of fatty bacon pieces were rolled in his napkin. James had a disgusting habit of tearing the bacon apart and only eating the lean parts. Charles never left a mess when he ate, but his newspaper was in its usual untidy pile.

Kay tossed the whole napkin on the floor. It would keep Ralph busy for a while. She ran hot water in the sink and washed off the honey jar. Then she put the cap on the hot sauce and stuck it back in the cupboard. The newspaper went in the trash. She didn’t feel like reading about world problems today.

Her eyes were puffy and it was hard to see as she wiped off the table.

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